


shine together

by maxtrology



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dread Doctors storyline never happened, Established Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Established Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, F/F, F/M, Hayden is a Werewolf from birth, Hayden never left, Hayden's family owns a coffee shop, Kira comes back from the skinwalkers, M/M, Minor Liam Dunbar/Hayden Romero, One-Sided Scott McCall/Malia Tate, Past Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura, Post-Season/Series 06, Stiles never left for the pre-FBI, Theo Raeken & Malia Tate Friendship, Theo is a werewolf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28837695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxtrology/pseuds/maxtrology
Summary: After being away for more than ten years, Theo and Malia come back to Beacon Hills. The town seems too normal, almost boring. But when Theo sees the blue-eyed boy at the coffee shop, he changes his mind as he tries to win Liam's heart while battling his own inner issues.
Relationships: Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Liam Dunbar/Hayden Romero, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. a new beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo and Malia arrive at Beacon Hills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to this first chapter! welcome again to those who've read the price and come from there. hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoy writing it :)

"Isn't it nice being back?".

"Not really".

Early April 2015. A warm spring morning. Malia knew Theo better than anyone, and she knew for a fact that he was actually happy to be back in Beacon Hills, he was just grumpy because it was eight in the morning. Theo dropped the last bag on the wooden floor of their little house in the woods, which they would soonly enough start calling home. Malia smiled and went to her room, leavin Theo alone in the living room.

Outside, Theo took a deep breath, taking in all the smells the forest had to give. He remembered living there when he was just a kid. He remembered playing hide and seek with his mom and dad. He remembered when life was simple, when they were a happy family. Theo tried to shake his parents off his head -this was a fresh start away from them, after all- but he couldn't. How could he? The way things were left off the last time they saw each other was far from perfect. The yelling, the crying, the door slamming. Oh, what wouldn't Theo do to forget all about it.

Before he would get lost in his thoughts, Theo focused on the breeze that swept over his face, on the color green that burst from everywhere, on the sound of the birds, on the smell of nature, on the fact that he was there, conscious, awake. Theo tended to forget that. And when he did, it was hard to remember it again.

About an hour later, Malia convinced him to go to the coffee shop she used to go when she was a kid. Theo wasn't the biggest fan of coffee, but he could use one cup or two. It was a small place, warm and cozy. Outside, it read "Romero's". Once inside, Theo had to check if the place was actually open, because it was totally empty.

"Hello?". Malia called. Seconds after, a dark-brown-haired girl stood behind the counter.

With a smile on he face, she introduced herself: "Hi, I'm Hayden. What can I get you?".

"I'll take a mocha".

"Just a black coffee for me". Theo replied.

"Black and mocha coming right up. Names?".

"Theo and Malia".

"Are you new in town?".'

"Something like that. We used to live here a long time ago".

"Well, welcome back".

"Thank you".

Hayden turned around as Malia and Theo went to take a seat in the far left side of the shop.

"You're so boring. I bring to the best coffee shop in town and all you get is a black coffee?".

"I'm a simple man. And we've lived together long enough for you to know that I don't enjoy drinking coffee".

"How are you my best friend?".

"Because no one else can stand you?".

"Right. Thanks for the reminder".

Their conversation was interrupted when a loud group of people entered the coffee shop. Theo counted seven people walking in and greeting Hayden like they had been friends for a long time. Malia rolled her eyes in response to the loud voices and looked at Theo, who was too busy staring at the just-arrived group to say anything.

The blue-eyed boy with the blonde glossy hair.

"It's nine in the morning. How are they so loud?". Malia complained.

Theo took his eyes off the boy and looked back at Malia: "Please, don't make a scene".

"They're already making a scene".

"Look, our drinks are coming. Can't we just enjoy them and leave peacefully?".

In silence, still with a smile plastered on her face, Hayden placed the mocha in front of Malia, and the black coffee in front of Theo. She then walked toward the other table, and Theo catched some names. Lydia, Kira, Liam, Mason. Or at least that's what he heard. Then he watched Hayden kissing the blue-eyed boy, and thought: _Of course, because why would anything good happen to me?_

Malia growled under her breath when the voices became louder, and turned around to look at the group for the first time.

"Malia... ".

Theo kept drinking his coffee, wanting to disappear as Malia asked -not so politely- if they could keep their voices down.

Ten minutes later, Malia and Theo stood outside, the former banned from entering the coffee shop for life.

"Told you to not make a scene. Did you have to try to pick a fight?".

"I didn't start it".

"You did".

"So? If you weren't so blown away by that guy, you would've helped me".

"First, I wasn't blown away. Second, no, I wouldn't have helped you, because it was stupid. Couldn't you just have drank your coffee peacefully? Do you see why I avoid going out with you?".

"Okay, I'm sorry. Whatever".

"We're here looking for a fresh start, Malia, trying leaving our past selves behind. I'm trying. So should you".


	2. running from the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo is overwhelmed by memories.

At the coffee shop, Hayden walked away from the group, seemingly annoyed at both Malia and her friends. Even when looking at her walk away, Liam had the embarrassed-look on Theo's face in his mind. He glanced outside and watched him walk away.

Theo and Malia made their way back to their house. Malia parked the car right outside and they entered silently.

"I'm sorry, really, about the coffee shop". Malia's voice softened. Theo nodded and gave her a small smile before walking into his room.

Theo wasn't mad at Malia before, he actually understood her. While Theo had found comfort in isolation, seclusion and putting up walls; violence, discord and roughness had been the ABCs of Malia's life. It's all she'd known, all she had been taught. Theo couldn't blame her for struggling to get rid of those habits.

In his room, Theo took a look at the place. The bed was set on the right side with the nightstand next to it. The rest of his stuff was stuffed in boxes lying around the place. He picked up a box and started unpacking. It was mostly clothing, but at the bottom, there was a picture of Theo as a kid, which he wasn't sure why he'd packed it. All that photo always brought was bad memories that he couldn't forget no matter how much he tried to.

He remembered that day perfectly. It was his eleventh birthday, one of the last he ever celebrated. His parents had bought him a big Rocky Road cake, Theo's favorite. For once, their little family was in a good place. There was no screaming, no fighting. Theo was _so happy._ They sang happy birthday to him, he ate cake until his stomach hurt. But then the night fell. And the moon shone brighter than ever. Ten minutes past midnight, Theo was sitting alone by the pond when he heard a noise coming from the trees behind. He thought it might be his parents coming to get him to bed, but he realised he was wrong.

It all happened so fast. Theo didn't even had the chance to scream. All the felt was an acute pain on his left arm. He cried while running back to his house, and when his parents asked him what happened, he showed them the bleeding bite on his arm. Their first reaction was blaming him for being all alone so late, claiming they had warned him to stay home. Regardless, they helped him clean the wound and bandage it. And then he went to sleep, not knowing that after that night, his life would change forever.

In the present day, Theo found himself standing by the same pond, not knowing how he got there. Last thing he remembered was leaving the photo on his nightstand. Theo looked around, feeling completely lost, but not in a physical way, because he knew exactly how to get back to the house, but more in a mental way. That blackout couldn't have meant anything good.

He shouldn't have open the box.

He shouldn't have looked at the picture.

He shouldn't have let himself drown in his thoughts. Because he knew what happened when he did. And he was trying to leave that part of his life behind.

He returned to the house —his home. He was safe there. He should be safe there. There was a warmth that he couldn't deny, that touched every single inch of his body. But there was also a coldness, a darkness impregnated to the walls. It was the house of his nightmares, but also the home of his affections. The house was him. He had lived more time there than he had lived anywhere else. And after all the time trying to escape, he was back.

Maybe even after all the pain experienced there, he could call that place home again.


	3. pastries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo goes to the coffee shop alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mostly filler stuff

The bell rang at nine in the morning when Theo opened the door to the coffee shop. He was feeling half-annoyed, because he had to get the coffee for Malia since she wasn't allowed in, but also he was kind of happy, because there was a possibility of running into the blue-eyed guy from the day before. Indeed, Liam was inside smiling at something in his phone, Theo made his way to the counter, next to Liam, who looked up at him.

"Hey. You were here yesterday. Your friend was banned, right?".

"That's me".

"Well, I'm sorry. I can't help but feel like it was mostly our fault".

"Don't worry. Malia's been on edge lately".

Liam nodded. Theo didn't know how he was keeping it together while talking to him.

"I'm Liam, by the way".

"Theo".

"Nice to meet you, Theo".

Before Theo could reply, Hayden appeared wearing a smile: "Hey, you. I see you two have met. What can I get you today?".

"Same thing".

"So a Mocha and a Black?". Theo nodded. "Anything to eat?".

Theo's eyes traveled through the dozens of desserts and pastries in front of him. He stopped at the colorful macarons.

"Well, we do like macarons".

Mostly, he did. Even though anything super sweet reminded him of his childhood and his parents, and— Theo shook the thoughts away before he got sucked into them. How was it that no matter where he went, there was always something that reminded him of them? He could never be free. He could never start over.

"Thank you". he muttered as he paid for the things Hayden had just handed him.

One last glance at Liam, and he off he went.

Theo walked into the living room to find Malia fixed on the TV. She was watching Brooklyn 99, her favorite, for the millionth time.

"I feel like I'm having a deja-vu. Haven't you watched that exact episode five times already?".

Her eyes still on the screen: "Your point?".

Theo scoffed and gave her the Mocha and three macarons, then he sat on the other sofa. Theo liked the way Malia obsessed over TV shows, he actually wished he could do the same, but everytime he tried to watch a single full episode, his mind tricked him and sent him spiralling down a tornado of intrusive thoughts. So he normally just kept Malia company while trying to keep his mind busy.

He ate all seven macarons in a minute and drank his coffee swiftly. He had woken up incredibly hungry. He looked at Malia, who was changing the episode, and saw that she had left a macaron next to her.

"Are you gonna eat that?".

"I don't think so. You can have it".

Theo had grabbed it before she finished her sentence.


	4. sabbatical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam questions where he stands in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After three episodes looking into Theo's life, I figured it was the time to have some insight into Liam's

The weekend flew by fast and before anyone could realise it, it was Monday. Like everyday, Liam woke up early to sneak out of the house just in time so he wouldn't have to run into his grandma. However, that day Liam had woken up in a good humor. His birthday was that week's Saturday. His birthday was one of the few moments of the year Liam truly looked forward to. This year was the second year he'd spend it without his parents, who were once again on a business trip. Liam loved his parents, but he didn't mind getting some off time from them. Though that off time had recently been a lot. He hadn't seen his parents since mid-February and Liam was starting to miss them a lot. He missed their presence in the house, he missed having an excuse to not spend time with his grandma.

His relationship with his grandma was tricky. He was sure she loved him, but most of the time it didn't feel like it. His grandma's favorite hobby was criticizing him even for the smallest thing. If he slightly burned dinner, if he left the bathroom door open, if he didn't get a job, if he stayed in his room all day, if he was out all day. The possibilities were endless. She always found a way to make him feel bad. Liam recalled it all started when he got expelled from Devenford Prep. Ever since then, his grandma made sure to make his life harder than it already was. It didn't bother him before, but when she moved in with him and his family, it surely started bothering him.

So he spent most of his time out of the house, at Hayden's coffee shop. It was his routine. Waking up and leaving the house fast, using his key to open the coffee shop's door and having breakfast there with Hayden. He loved spending his time there. Hayden's grandma was nothing like his. She was a plump, tiny woman, with a smile that could brighten your day. She always pampered Liam, giving him all sorts of candy and pastries until Liam had to politely ask her to stop because he couldn't fit anything else in his stomach.

"Liam".

Liam looked up from his seat, at Hayden, who was holding an empty cup of coffee, looking directly at him.

"What?".

"Can you turn around the open sign, please?".

"Yeah. Sure".

Hayden was always getting Liam out of his mind, which he spent a lot of time in. He stood up and walked toward the door, turned the sign and returned to his seat. Minutes later, the customers started to come in and out, in and out. Liam just watched as Hayden did her job, which she really enjoyed. Most of the days Liam looked at her work, he wondered: _What am I doing with my life?_

The sentiment of failure was one that Liam knew all too well, and felt almost at all times and at least once a day. This was that day's moment. Being eighteen —almost nineteen, was not what he had expected. He never has big dreams, but now he had nothing. His senior had ended almost a year ago and since then, he hadn't accomplished anything. He didn't even know what he'd want to accomplish. When looking into his future, all Liam found was a big, fat emptiness. There was nothing he could see himself working on. He loved lacrosse, but he never thought of it as a long-term goal. He enjoyed history, but that was more of a hobby, a side-thing he sometimes did. But apart from that? There was nothing. This sabbatical was meant to be for him to find out who he was and what he wanted. He was lucky his parents supported him through it, but if he were to take another, he was sure he'd be kicked out of the house by his grandma. He missed most of the college application deadlines, and the ones he didn't, would soon pass too.

_What am I going to do?_

The question was left unanswered, as it had been for years. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a glass shattering. His eyes immediately went to Hayden, who stood stunned looking at the reason of the noise. Theo had entered the shop and bumped into another customer, sending the woman's drink straight to the floor.

"I- I'm so sorry".

The middle-aged woman laughed it off to Theo's surprise, as he nervously kept apologising.

"Don't worry. I've broke a few glasses myself".

She then proceeded to buy a new drink while Liam went to help cleaning up the mess.

"Are you okay?". Liam asked to a frozen Theo.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. Been a little distracted lately".

"Story of my life". Liam said jokingly, but he truly meant it.

Liam picked up the glass pieces and threw them into the trash can while swept the floor, cleaning up the spilled chocolate. Once they were done, the woman walked past them, giving Theo a sweet smile.


	5. lost in reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo gets lost.

Theo's mind went spinning, getting messier, as the days passed. All he did on the weekend was trying to stay focused. His thoughts kept travelling to places he didn't want to go. His parents, his past. It was especially hard to avoid the memories from playing when he was living in that house. Why did he ever thought it would be a good idea to come back to Beacon Hills and stay in that house? How could he ever thought it was gonna work? He just wanted to escape. But no. He had made a decision, and there had been reasoning behind it, though he couldn't remember what it was. He just had to get used to the place, after all, he had only been there for a couple of days. Maybe after a month or two...

By the time Monday came, he was trying harder than ever to stay focused. He was trying so hard to battle his own mind, that he stopped putting attention to the outside world. When he threw that lady's drink to the floor, he thought: _how am I gonna keep doing this?_ He felt so lost and so tired. Theo didn't know it, but Liam noticed it as he helped him clean up, because he reeked of anxiety. But Liam didn't dare to ask anything, there wasn't enough trust to ask what was happening. So he just stood there, quietly, after cleaning, watching him go.

The next day, Malia sat Theo down and talked to him. Malia knew Theo better than anyone, so she soonly noticed something was off. Theo had been distracted, forgetful, his mind somewhere else. Malia had guessed what was going on, and knowing Theo and everything he'd been through, it wouldn't lead to anything good.

"You know, we can leave if you need to."

"No," Theo took a deep breath, his voice sounded a little hoarse. "I made my decision. And I have to stick with it."

"But you don't have to. I know that we thought this would be a good idea, but that was before. We had no idea how it would affect you to be back. Now we know, and I think it's better to go back to Portland."

"I said no. I don't wanna leave. I can't. Going back would mean I couldn't do it. I failed. I need to stay, to face it. I know it seems like I'm not doing well, but it's just... I'll get better."

Malia let him go, not because she believed him, but because she knew that pushing Theo wouldn't end up well. So Theo walked to the coffee shop —he'd grown very fond of it lately— in an attempt to clear his mind. It was no use, though, because the harder he tried to think of something else, the more his parents' faces appeared in his head.

He was welcomed by the unpleasant view of Hayden and Liam kissing and giggling. As soon as they heard the bell, Hayden hurried to the counter and Liam cleared his throat. While Theo made his order, Liam noticed that Theo's smell of anxiety had been replaced by something else: _despair._

Two hours later, Malia started to get worried because was nowhere to be found. She had looked around the house twice in case he had came back from the coffee shop and she didn't notice, but he wasn't there. She looked for him in the woods, by the pond, by the street. She couldn't go downtown because Theo had taken the car. She had left him fifteen messages and called him six times. When she was about to go downtown walking, she heard the entrance door opening.

When she saw Theo, Malia almost started packing everything to leave at once. But instead, she sat down next to him on the sofa, studying his every move, helpless.

"Theo."

As soon as Malia said his name, Theo's expression softened as he looked at her with teary eyes. She didn't have to think it twice, she hugged him as hard as she could. Malia felt his tears wetten her shirt, he had barely hugged her back. His body was stiff, petrified. Malia held back her own tears.

The first time Theo had one his dark states, Malia didn't know what to do. Theo shut down completely. No matter how hard Malia tried to help him, he wouldn't let her. It was almost two months full of tears, pain and helplessness. When Theo managed to come out of it, he didn't remember much. It was like he wasn't there, like he didn't live those two months, just skipped them. That's when Malia looked for help. Three years of therapy, his moods were every time less frequent. Before coming back to Beacon Hills, he hadn't had one on ten months. That's why she got so worried when he didn't come home. She remembered all those days sitting on the floor outside Theo's room, not getting a single answer from inside.

Coming back to Beacon Hills had been a bad idea.

"Theo, please, look at me."

Once they pulled away, Theo met Malia's eyes. She grabbed his hands and allowed a single tear to fall from her right eye.

"Everything's gonna be alright, okay? We've been through this before, and we'll get over it again, together."

Malia waited for a sign that he had heard, but all she found were Theo's dim and lost eyes. Regardless, she brought him into an embrace again, while she still could. If there was something Malia knew, was that _she couldn't lose Theo._


	6. as time flies by

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malia gets a job, Theo doesn't know how to be alone.

After the moment on the sofa, Theo rushed into his room. Malia followed him, tried to stop him from shutting the door —and himself as well— but it was ultimately closed in front if her face. In the hall, she walked around circles sharpening her hearing as much as she could, but she didn't catch a sound. Malia knocked for the hundredth time, holding on to the last string of hope she had left.

"Theo?".

"Go away, Malia. I'm fine."

Malia felt like she could breathe again. He was there. He was alive. He was awake. He was _fine._ She wasn't so sure about that last statement, but the other three were certain, and that was enough for her for the moment.

The rest of the afternoon there was silence. The only thing that could be heard was the TV from Malia's room playing an episode of Brooklyn 99, thought it was almost in mute. For the first time, Malia couldn't pay attention to the show. Her eyes were fixed on the suitcase lying in the floor. She could just pack everything up and leave with Theo right away. She knew that he had said that he wanted to stay, but after the events that took place that morning, she was ready to drag him out by force. But she didn't do it, of course.

At times like that, all she could do was be there to support Theo. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing, no matter how wrong she thought he was. Malia felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and she checked the new message.

She got the job.

That made her feel terrified. Somehow, she felt like getting a job in Beacon Hills would make their stay more permanent, more lasting, more real. Like it would mean that it's final, those were their lives now and there was no backing away.

Early in the morning, the next day, Theo woke up startled and lacking oxygen inside his lungs. It took a few minutes and some big breaths to feel okay again. He heard noise from the kitchen, pans clattering, silverware falling to the floor. What was Malia doing awake at eight in the morning?

"Morning."

"You got up early," mentioned Theo once he was standing next to her. "Why?"

"I got work."

"You do? Where?".

"Flower shop downtown. The Rainbow Bouquet."

"I've heard of it," Theo said. "What were you doing here in the first place?"

"Obviously looking for flowers."

"Why?".

"Why do you want to know?".

Theo remained in silence. Malia finished eating her breakfast and walked to the entrance door but didn't leave.

"You're gonna be okay here?".

"I'm not a kid, Malia. I can take care of myself."

"I know, it's just... after yesterday..." Malia looked at Theo in the eyes for a second, but then glanced back to the floor. "I'm just worried."

"Don't be. Go. Sell some flowers. And say hi to your secret girlfriend for me."

"I don't have a secret girlfriend." she answered in a very non-convincing way, while smiling.

Theo smiled back. "Good luck."

Malia closed the door behind her a she left.

Theo felt the time pass by as he lied down on the sofa. A little over an hour had passed when his mind started to sabotage his free time. he thought he could do something to keep his mind focused on something else, maybe cooking? Trying to watch that show Malia likes? Walking around the forest?

He turned the TV on and played the first episode of Brooklyn 99. Some time later, all Theo's mind could think about was: _How long has it been?._ He guessed two hours, but when he looked on his phone, it had only been thirty minutes, and he was only starting the second episode of the show.

 _What's the point? Why do I find it so difficult to enjoy normal activities?_ Malia loved to cook, Theo would lose his temper five minutes into it. Malia loved watching TV shows, Theo couldn't get past the first episodes. Malia could walk around the forest like a normal person, Theo would blackout after five steps, and if he didn't, he'd be haunted by memories from the past that he couldn't let go.

But why couldn't he let go? Why did his mind insist on going through the experiences that caused him so much trauma? Why couldn't he just forget? When one has a traumatic experience as a kid, most people's brains blocked it, making it seem like it never happened. Why couldn't his brain do the same?

It took Theo almost two hours to stop his train of thought. And when he did, he got dressed, grabbed the keys to the house, and walked away.


	7. i'll be fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo tries to move on like everything's okay.

Fifteen minutes past three, Malia found Theo's phone lying on the couch after leaving him her thirteenth message. She had to resist the urge to crash her own phone against the nearest wall. But then she heard the entrance door opening, and she ran toward it. Theo entered in silence, left the keys on the table on his side, and found himself standing in front of Malia's angry yet worried expression.

"Malia?".

"I left you thirteen messages, called you five times, just to find out that you left your phone here. Where the hell were you?".

"I went for a walk. I told not to worry about me. I'm fine."

"Well, I worry. How do you expect me not to after what happened yesterday?".

"Yesterday was nothing."

"Maybe. But how could I know that today was nothing too?" Malia raised her voice. "I come back from work and I can't find you anywhere. Do you know the kind of thoughts that went through my mind?".

Theo had never seen her like that before. There was something in her voice, in the way she spoke, that made him feel like absolute garbage. Malia had always been looking out for him, and he couldn't even remember to grab his phone and send her a message? He didn't know how to answer, his throat was closed and his head wouldn't formulate a single sentence. Theo brought Malia closer to his body and hugged her tight.

"Do you think a hug is gonna solve everything?".

Despite Malia's efforts to break free, Theo wouldn't let her go. After a few seconds, Malia gave in, realising how pointless was being mad at Theo and letting herself feel his arms on her back, and hers on his.

"I was so scared..."

Her voice made Theo quiver. Malia wrapped her arms around him stronger, like she was afraid he'd disappear out of thin air.

That whole moment made Theo realise how much Malia cared for him. Of course, he knew she loved him —even though she just said it thrice in five years— but seeing her freak out because he wasn't at home made him feel loved. But it also made him feel worried. Malia was the first person to ever care that much about Theo and that scared him, because he didn't know how to act. He felt pressured because he knew that if/when anything happened to him, Malia would be destroyed, and he didn't like to be responsible for other people's emotions, especially since he experienced those darks moods and blackouts, which were definitely a burden for the rest of the people.

As his mind spiralled around, the next morning came. Theo got roughly two hours of sleep, but he still energetically walked to the coffee shop. Malia's shift started at four that day, so while Theo was out, she watched Black Mirror's White Christmas episode, which she had been eager to watch ever since she binged the first two seasons of the show.

Theo took a deep breath as he opened the coffee shop's door, making the bell ring, which called Liam's attention, who was sitting near the counter. Noticing Theo, Liam unconsciously smiled.

"Hi." greeted Theo, walking in Liam's direction.

"Hey, Theo."

"Hayden isn't here?".

"Bathroom. You can wait for her, she'll be back in a few minutes."

Theo nodded, awkwardly resting his hands on the counter. The waiting time felt longer than he expected, but when he checked the time on the clock hanging from the left wall, he saw that only a minute had passed. Then, Liam asked something Theo didn't expect.

"Why didn't you come yesterday?".

"Um, I... had stuff to do."

This explanation seemed to be enough for Liam, who just nodded and turned his eyes back to his phone. Seconds later, Hayden rushed behind the counter,

"The usual?".

"Yeah."

Theo glanced at Liam from the corner of his eye. He had his bright blue eyes fixed on Hayden and Theo couldn't help but feeling a bit jealous, which he found extremely annoying because he had only known Liam for barely a week. Theo avoided both Liam's and Hayden's eyes while paying, and left without saying another word.


	8. enhanced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Liam's birthday.

Saturday, April the 18th had finally arrived. Much to Liam's displease, he was woken up by his grandma's voice singing him happy birthday and the smell of chocolate cake. He opened his eyes and found, not only his grandma, but also Hayden, Corey and Mason standing next to her. That brightened his mood. Liam let a smile appear on his face as they group finished the song.He blowed the candles after wishing to spend the whole day away from his house.

"I brought your favorite cake from the coffee shop." said Hayden. "Happy birthday."

"Well, _we all_ did, "replied Mason." but yeah, happy birthday."

Liam just realised that, apart from the cake, there were a big variety of other sweets from the coffee shop. Liam couldn't think of a better gift. After a few hugs and kisses, Mason, Corey and Hayden left his room, leaving him alone with his grandma.

"Here you go, "said his grandma, giving him a small envelope." happy birthday."

Liam felt suspicious about the gift. He opened it slowly, his grandma watching his every move. Inside, there was a letter directed to him.

_**"Dear Liam Dunbar. We are delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to Santa Clara University..."**_

Liam immediately stopped reading and looked up to his grandma in disbelief: "What is this?".

"An acceptance letter."

"But I didn't apply to any colleges."

"I did it for you. Liam, you can't keep living at your parents' house doing nothing," her voice was warm. Liam hated it. "You have to study, work, anything. I don't want a lazy boy in my family. And if you weren't gonna do something, I knew I had to step in."

"You're insane!" hissed Liam as he stood up from the bed. "You can't decide for me. It's my life! I make the choices!"

"What choices? Whether you stay in bed all day or spend the day in that coffee shop doing nothing, helping no one? Don't you get tired of being so useless? Of living at the expense of others? Your parents should be tired of you, of you living under their roof without contributing anything. I've told them you just need a little push, but they wouldn't hear. No, their precious son an take all the time he wants to decide what he wants to do with his life. Such supportive parents. Supportiveness isn't gonna get you anywhere. But this, what I did for you, is a start. You're gonna go to this university, and you will--"

Liam will never know what he would do, because he ran out of the room and locked himself in the bathroom. The palms of his hands hurting because of his claws plunging into them. In the mirror, all he managed to see were his yellow eyes glowing. He was so blinded by rage, he broke the mirror with his fist. Better than punching his grandma. Even though she was always mean to him, Liam had never heard such horrible words come out from her mouth. The tone she used... Liam wasn't so sure she loved him anymore.

His eyes stopped glowing, the fangs and claws disappeared. _What an awful way to start my birthday._

Thankfully, Mason, Corey and Hayden hadn't heard that argument. They were laughing about something when he entered the coffee shop at ten. He had snuck out of the house, making a big effort to avoid his grandma. Though his birthday wasn't going the way he expected, he shook off what happened earlier from his head and tried to enjoy the rest of the day.

At eleven, the coffee shop was crowed by Liam's friends. The whole pack was there. The usual every-day customer made his way into the coffee shop. Liam thought Theo seemed more held-back and serious that day. Kira exited the place quietly, and no one noticed but Liam. He could swear he saw her kiss Malia outside.

However, he didn't put much thought into it and his eyes flickered back to Theo. Liam sensed the perfect opportunity to do something impulsive.

"Hey, Theo?".

Theo stopped by the door and turned back on his heels to Liam: "Yeah?".

"Do you want to... stay here with us, maybe? I feel you are third-wheeling out there."

Theo looked for a second at Malia and Kira, then eyes back to Liam's.

"Oh, I was just dropping her off. I think I'll head back home."

"Wouldn't you prefer to spend your time somewhere where you'll get free food? Come on, it's my birthday."

"Happy birthday, then. But I don't think I'll stay. If you'd asked me any other day, I'd probably say yes, but right now, I don't feel like being around people."

"Are you okay?".

"Yeah. Don't worry. Just sorting some stuff out."

Liam nodded. It was clear he wasn't gonna convince Theo to stay, so he just let him go. He heard the bell ringing as Theo left. Liam turned back to his pack with a weird feeling in his stomach.


	9. revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A supernatural creature threatens Beacon Hill's new found peace.

Tensions in the Dunbar's house went down days after the fight on Liam's birthday. Sunday and Monday were a nightmare. Liam stayed home throughout that period of time. Hayden had went on a trip with the rest of her family for two weeks, meaning the coffee shop remained closed. Mason, Corey, and basically the rest of the pack were all out of town and back in college, since Easter break was over, except for Kira, but she was too busy spending time with Malia. Liam didn't have the energy to go for a walk, so all he did was locking himself up in his room, sneak out to the kitchen to get food and then back inside. That until Tuesday night.

As Liam laid peacefully on his bed, TV on, window and door closed, Liam's ears were pierced by the unmistakable howl of a wolf. But who could it be? All werewolves he knew weren't in Beacon Hills and that howl couldn't have been far. 10:36 P.M., Liam left his house in a hurry, heart pounding, senses enhanced. He had ran just a few blocks when the howl echoed again and made Liam realise he was going in the wrong direction. It was coming from the woods.

Liam might've felt scared because this could mean someone was in danger, but he mostly felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Dodging the trees and keeping watch at any suspicious and sudden movement, Liam dived into the forest. He ran and ran, the moonlight illuminating his face, until he came across a wooden, rather small, creepy house. Apart from the smell of dust and nature, Liam catched another scent, a scent that Liam knew. _It was Theo's._ He followed it through the trees, past the pond, and into another part of the woods.

"Watch out! Don't let it touch you!". Theo's voice came from his right. He only caught a glimpse of him before a dark, ghost-like creature rushed on his direction. Liam ducked and successfully dodged the attack. From the floor, he managed to see a body lying on the floor. _Malia._

Kira, who stood next to her, took her sword out and her body lit on fire as she tried to attack the creature. Liam stood up too, shifted with a roar, ready to fight, but Kira's attempt to attack it seemed to have lured the creature away. Once the atmosphere calmed, Liam noticed Theo's glowing yellow eyes looking directly at his own. Kira put her sword back as a belt and knelt next to Malia, who was slowly opening her eyes.

"What happened?" Liam asked once himself and Theo shifted back into humans.

"We were walking," said Kira. "and that thing appeared. Malia attacked it, but as soon as she touched it, she fell."

Malia sat looking around, her body was giving off chemosignals of fear and fright.

"Malia?".

Theo placed his hand over hers but she flinched at the touch.

"It's okay. You're okay, you're safe."

But Liam got the idea that Malia didn't feel safe. As tears fell down her cheeks and her breathing increased, they dragged her back to her house. Despite the blankets and the hot coffee, Malia kept shivering. She hadn't said a word and her eyes were fixed on the wall. Liam had never seen Theo so worried before.

"What do you think that thing was?". Theo asked in a whisper.

"I'm more interested in what it does. She's petrified." added Kira.

"Well, don't look at me. I've never seen that before." said Liam, then he looked at Kira. "And we've seen a lot."

"Yeah, this town's really keen on supernatural stuff."

"Or rather the supernatural is keen on this town."

Theo looked at Malia and then back at Liam and Kira: "We have to figure out what this thing is and what it does before it attacks someone else."


	10. defenceless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malia explains what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! And sorry for the extra-shortness of this chapter :( Next chapters will be longer (like the previous ones)

Theo thought it was funny that he had to take care of Malia when he couldn't even take care of himself. It was always Malia who took care of Theo, not the other way around.

The night it happened was tough. Malia didn't sleep, neither did Theo. Kira and Liam, who decided to stay over, fell asleep at three in the morning. Theo tried to talk to Malia for a while, but she didn't seem to listen; she wasn't there. After some time, she stopped shivering. At 7 AM, Theo managed to keep his eyes closed for twenty minutes before he felt Malia standing up next to him and walking away. He stood up too and swept the place with his eyes. Liam was curled up on the floor, Kira next to him, both sleeping. The entrance door was ajar.

The sun barely shone outside. Theo saw the outine of Malia's body in the distance. She was standing next to the pond. As Theo approached, she turned around to look at him for a second, and then returned to contemplating the water.

"It's a nice morning," she said calmly. "and a nice view."

"Malia."

"I'm okay," she assured. "I'm fine now."

"What happened?"

"It was a funny feeling," her voice had a sour tone to it. "it was like that thing got inside of me and sucked every good feeling or good memory I had and left only the bad ones, the ones that made me afraid. It played those memories in my head, and even created new ones."

From the corner of his eye, Theo looked at Malia. She looked oddly peaceful. She was telling eveything that had happened like it didn't affect her at all.

"Now I play those situations in my head and I feel nothing. I don't feel the fear and fright I did last night. It's like I'm incapable of doing so."

Theo's knowledge of the supernatural was very reduced; he live his life in relative peace and away from harm, at least from physical harm. He had no idea how to deal with that kind of stuff.

"Aren't you tired? You didn't sleep last night."

"No, I'm okay." said Malia. "That time I was seekng those memories, it felt like sleeping. Like I was having one long nightmare."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just realised that this creature sounds a lot like the dementors from Harry Potter. I read HP a few weeks ago for the first time, but I had this story planned since last year. So no, it's not a copy.


End file.
